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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. tube — the underground
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. field — for sport
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. field — farmland
  7. present — there
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. ball — a great time
  10. tube — a container
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a dance
  13. wound — an injury
  14. object — to protest
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wound — an injury
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. present — a gift
  19. object — an aim
  20. pitch — completely
  21. object — a thing
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. field — a subject

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com